The Office of Student Research at Illinois State University announced the 2022-2023 FIREbird and BirdFEEDER grant winners.
2022 FIREbird recipients
The Fund for Independent Research Experience grant (FIREbird) allows undergraduate students to work with a faculty mentor on a research project. Summer funds (up to $3000) and academic year funds (up to $1500) may be used for student hourly wages, research incentives, supplies, or travel.
Anna Andersen of Chicago, Illinois, awarded for “Mental Health in the Filipino American Community” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Lindsey Thomas. Andersen studies mass media in the School of Communications.
Hailey Burnett of Dekalb, Illinois, awarded for “Parentage Assignments and Pedigree Construction in House Wrens” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Pirmin Nietlisbach. Burnett studies conservation biology in the School of Biology Sciences.
Claire Culbreth of Joliet, Illinois, awarded for “The Development of a Human Factors Virtual Research and Teaching Lab Using Unity Gaming Engine” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Gabriela Fonseca Pereira. Culbreth studies interior design in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Noah Davison of Normal, Illinois, awarded for “A Maya Talking Forest: A Virtual Environment for Digital Repatriation of Kaqchikel Cultural Patrimony” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Kathryn Sampeck. Davison studies interdisciplinary technologies in the School of Creative Technologies.
Brenden Delcario of New Lenox, Illinois, awarded for “Acting Pedagogy in the Career of Professor Jean Scharfenberg” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Ann Haugo. Delcario studies acting in the School of Theater and Dance.
Ellie DeZur of Naperville, Illinois, awarded for “The Development of a Human Factors Virtual Research and Teaching Lab Using Unity Gaming Engine” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Gabriela Fonseca Pereira. Dezur studies interior design in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Erica Elsey of Decatur, Illinois, awarded for “The Development of a Human Factors Virtual Research and Teaching Lab Using Unity Gaming Engine” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Gabriela Fonseca Pereira. Elsey studies interior design in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Kassidy Hansen of Wilmington, Illinois, awarded for “Phonological Awareness in Action: A Case Study” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Ciera Lorio. Hansen studies communication sciences and disorders in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Julian Marvel of Waggoner, Illinois, awarded for “Elemental analysis of Ground Stone Axes from Noble-Wieting using pXRF,” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Logan Miller. Marvel studies anthropology in the School of Sociology and Anthropology.
Carl Orellano of Peoria, Illinois, awarded for “Investigating the expression of virulence factors upon treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the antimicrobial compound AGXX” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Jan-Ulrik Dahl. Orellano studies general biology (Pre-Med) in the School of Biological Sciences.
Lucas Roslewski of Huntley, Illinois, awarded for “Making Geopolymer Concrete Using Waste Glass and Quarry by-products” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Guang Jin. Roslewski studies geography in the School of Geography, Geology, and the Environment.
Julia Schmid of Teutopolis, Illinois, awarded for “Input Price Determinates and Farmland Value Response” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Michelle Kibler. Schmid studies agribusiness in the School of Agriculture.
Joseph Wittrock of Oak Brook, Illinois, awarded for “Antimagic Labeling of Subdivided Caterpillars” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Songling Shan. Wittrock studies mathematics in the School of Mathematics.
2022 BirdFEEDER recipients
BirdFEEDER grants (Fund for Experimentation, Enquiry and the Development of Student Research) provide graduate and undergraduate students with up to $500 to use for research supplies, materials, or travel to conduct research.
Erinda Aidoo awarded for “Identifying Molecular Targets of Corticosteroid Mediated Improvements of Dystrophic Muscles” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Andrés Vidal Gadea. Aidoo studies molecular and cellular biology in the School of Biological Sciences.
Yoo Akakpo awarded for “The code of the school: Exploring the age at which the ‘code’ begins to influence school violence,” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Charles Bell. Akakpo studies criminal justice in the School of Criminal Justice.
Mackenzie Callahan awarded for “Nativist Microagression in Supervision” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Brea Banks. Callahan studies psychology in the School of Psychology’s Doctoral Program.
Lexi Colwell awarded for “Can Video Comparison Facilitate Children’s STEM Learning?” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Alycia Hund. Colwell studies cognitive and experimental psychology in the School of Psychology.
Okiemute Commander awarded for “Assessment of spatial and temporal variations in chloride concentration in an agricultural tile-drained area in central Illinois” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Eric Peterson. Commander studies hydrogeology in the School of Geography, Geology, and the Environment.
Ian Cooper awarded for “Occentatia: Processing, Healing, and Community Through Platform Gaming” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Şercan Sengün. Cooper studies fine art in the School of Art and Design: Creative Technologies, Printmaking.
Gracious Donkor awarded for “Investigating the synergistic effect of a novel antimicrobial in aminoglycoside-mediated killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Jan Ulrik-Dahl. Donkor studies biotechnology in the School of Biological Sciences.
Jaclyn Everly awarded for “Non-target impacts of Bti mosquito control on ephemeral pool communities” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Steven Juliano. Everly studies biology in the School of Biological Sciences.
Ann Francis awarded for “The Relationship Between Athletic Trainer’s Diet, Sleep, Cognitive, and Emotional State” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Jennifer Barnes. Francis studies athletic training in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation.
Emily Harders awarded for “5β-reductase (AKR1D1) inactivates glucocorticoids during embryonic development: Can cholic acid induce its expression?” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Ryan Paitz. Harders studies biology in the School of Biological Sciences.
Caitlyn Jezowit awarded for “Is Coping Enough? Examining Coping on Burnout Among Educator” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Adena Meyers. Jezowit studies psychology in the School of Psychology.
Savanah Kinney awarded for “A Stewart Platform for reducing cybersickness in Immersive Driving Simulation,” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Issac Chang. Kinney studies project management in the school of Technology.
Rochele Pereira Gloor awarded for “Spatializing Digital Drugs in Virtual Reality for Mental Health” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Greg Corness. Gloor studies creative technologies in the School of Creative Technologies.
Bella Rohrig awarded for “Crystalline Structures of Silver Salts and 4-PEBE” under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Gregory Ferrence. Rohrig studies biochemistry in the School of Chemistry.
Caleb Sawe awarded for “Determining Functional relevance of HTK2 autoinhibition in early cilia biogenesis using CP110 as a selective marke” under the guidance of Dr. Martin Engelke. Sawe studies in the School of Biological Sciences..
Ritika Shah awarded for “Characterizing the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa polyphosphate in the killing of Staphylococcus aureus” under the guidance of Dr. Jan-Ulrik Dahl. Shah studies in the School of Biological Sciences.
Angela Spilotro awarded for “Dramaturgy: Researching Faith and the World of Arbor Falls” under the guidance of Dr. Kee-Yoon Nahm. Spilotro studies in the School of Theatre and Dance.
Savannah Theilbar awarded for “Human Impacts on Erosion Rates in Starved Rock State Park, IL” under the guidance of Dr. Lisa Tranel. Theilbar studies in the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment.
Demet Yigitbilek awarded for “Positioning in and through Writing as The Teacher and The Student in Adult ESL Classrooms” under the gudiance of Dr. Lisya Seloni. Yigitbilek studies in the Department of English.
For more information on the FIREbird and BirdFEEDER grants, visit the Office of Student Research Webpage.
